So standard campfire bull sessions often sound like gun shop bull sessions at times.
"You could use a LAWS rocket to bust into that zombie bunker"
"Pff, the army doesn't even use LAWS anymore."
"Naw, I've seen em on the news"
"That was a new thing... can't think of the name... Not a Dragon. That was the replacement for the
LAWS that was bigger that they also don't use anymore. Something from Norway. Maybe Denmark."
"The Javelin?"
"Naw that's a pop up job. Not for straight on hits"
"Not the TOW"
"Naw..."
"Why don't we just do RPGs? Works great for the commies, still"
"But if one of those gets shot with a bullet you go up like a Roman candle"
"Carl something?"
"Yeah"
"Carl Gustav!"
"That's it!"
"But that's Sweden."
"Right right"
"Still, it's a old design. Like we went full circle, back to the original bazooka, almost"
"Still should use the LAWS"
"Oh hush"
"But it's so light and easy!"
And so on. Keep in mind I am the only person with any military experience. And what little of that there is was in the Navy as an officer. I was lucky to put my hands on a pistol. Never shouldering anything larger. Like a rocket.
AT4 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AT4
ReplyDeleteThat's what you want.
FWIW: The US military has still been acquiring updated variants of the M72 LAWS, specifically the M72A7 and M72A9. They may not be as prolific as the M136 (AT4), but they are out there.
ReplyDeleteRecoilless Rifle. Like Carl Gustav, only heavier. Originally designed to be carried on Jeeps early in the Viet Nam War, they typically carried a single-shot .50 caliber rifle (M2, only without the automatic weapon's weight and complexity) on the top of the tube, as a 'ranging shot'.
ReplyDeleteThe .50 caliber and the Recoilless Rifle had approximately the same ballistics, so the process was to use the (single) sight to acquire the target, then fire the .50 caliber to confirm that your main shot would strike the target. When the .50 caliber round hit the target, you use the same target acquisition and fired the main round.
Target destroyed.
Various rounds were available, including cannister and HP.
During training (1968) we heard the story about a "Reckless" being used to engage an NVA unit marching down a trail in line. The crew lined up with the trail and eliminated enough of the unit that the rest of them decided to "Didi Mao" the area.
Probably apocryphal, although it served to impress the troops.
Too heavy to be carried by infantry on most missions (it was designed to be mounted on a Light Vehicle, like Jeeps), it was still among the most effective "portable" American weapons against massed infantry, except for Ma Deuce.
Then came the Claymore Mine ....